Cyclops is a jerk.

[starwolf_oakley]

A VS. X makes it clear Cyclops is acting like a total jerk. And I wish it was Out Of Character for him, that some desperate hope Jean will come back is overriding his better judgement. Except it isn't. Cyclops being a jerk is standing operating procedure pretty much since DECIMATION started, if not before.



From the last issue of CHILDREN'S CRUSADE:



Good gravy, Scott.

Two pages from X-MEN: SCHISM #4:





Cyclops has two good points: Logan blows off every class he is assigned, and he was in a bar when the Hellfire Club attacked the Mutant History Museum (thus Idie killed the Club soldiers). Those are Scott's only points.

One panel from X-MEN: SCHISM #5:



Examples like when he ran out on Madelyn Pryor and his son also come to mind, but he realized at that very instant what an ass he was. He just didn't do anything to change it.

Comments

[nefrekeptah]

Well, look at it this way.

At least he's not being written out of established character to make a crossover work.

[jcbaggee]

It's interesting in that I see it as an evolution of Scott. He was always the first to believe in Xavier's dream of mutants and humans living in peace, but now he sees the extinction of mutantkind as a threat to that. In his eyes, he's upholding Xavier's dream by struggling to keep them alive through any means necessary.

[lencannon]

Sorry, I'm afraid to say I'm still with Scott here. Dude has been the whipping boy of the Marvel U since the 70s. He's really found a great place for himself as a major marvel character. If he's a little abrasive, at least he isn't letting everyone walk all over him like Prof. X would.

Also, unlike Charles, all of his dick behavior is right there on the surface instead of hidden behind a bunch of creepy passive aggressive "kindness" and dark secrets.

[brooms]

In his eyes, he's upholding Xavier's dream

i doubt it.

[brooms]

also, everything in uxm 515.

[darkknightjrk]

I can grok where the guy's going--like lencannon mentioned, the guy was a whipping boy for decades, but since Morrison/Whedon, the guy's basically manned up and had to literally lead the ENTIRE Mutant race, which is a completely different animal from simply leading a superhero team. If anything, his cardinal sin is probably that he's tries a wee too hard at times to be the alpha male--which is probably why his Extinction Team is filled with people who were/are gifted leaders, like Namor, Magneto, and Storm.

OT, but when it comes to the X-Men and Children's Crusade, the one that really bothered me was Wolverine. I know his deal lately has been that he's the killer of the team, and he doesn't want anyone else to have to get their hands dirty, but...DAMN, dude REALLY wanted to kill Billy and Wanda a bit too much.

[citygod]

...and in the role of Charles Xavier, James Carville, ladiesangennlmen...

[brooms]

i don't like cyclops. and i can't make much sense of avx (or care to, i'm just not feeling it, not for me). but he has a lot of justified pent up anger going and i feel like mr right and virtuous captain america is, like, one of the worst possible picks to try and "reason" with him?

especially when the "reasoning" involves a helicarrier full of avengers ready to use force and invade the mutant's home island.

"where were you?"

"respecting you."

awful. just awful.

[kirayoshi]

I'm still going with the theory that a portion of Apocalypse's psyche is still rattling around in Scott's head, influencing his actions. It's the only thing that makes sense anymore.

I also stand by my belief that by the end of AVX, Scott is going to wind up the loneliest man in the MU. Even Emma won't want him anymore!

[mommy]

I am distracted by how in the first scan there seems to be an X-Men team requirement for all female teammates to show off their cleavage. How are Emma's and Storm's tops even staying up?

What?

[benuben]

Okay, how is he jerk at the first scan? He is right. She did destroy lives. It's not good reason to kill her, which he admited, but it's damn good reason to be pissed. Also, they are 6 other people right behind him.

And you forgot a lot of his other points, like that them losing their only home in the world that is openly armed against them would suck, sentinel not giving fuck if they are kids, the kids being there willingly (atleast he though so) ect. And when we are at it, what are Wolverine's arguments here? "They are kids, just like you and other kids Xavier forced to do exactly the same things and... They are kids!"

[jetwolf]

I am the absolute last person that would ever cheer Cyclops on, but I don't see the jerkiness in AvX - or, at least, no jerkiness that isn't warranted. Captain America basically showed up on sovereign land, demanded a young and powerful member of an endangered people, and brought a super-powered battalion with him to make sure he left with what he wanted. Steve came to fight, not to talk, and I don't think Scott can be blamed for seeing that and reacting accordingly.

If anything for me, Captain America's looking terrible in this. I'd love to see how Steve would react to someone bringing an army to American soil to demand a citizen. No matter the reason claimed, somehow I suspect his response wouldn't be to shrug and say "Sure, no problem."

[righthondude]

Here, here!

[md84]

In A vs. X, the issue isn't jerkiness so much as stupidity. And Cap and Cyclops were both being pretty out-of-character stupid, which is really the only way the crossover fight could happen in the first place. A clear case of Hanlon's Razor in action.

[suzene]

Cyclops stopped being a hero to me c. Divided We Stand. Xavier "dies", so let's kick a bunch of traumatized kids out of the only home some of them have left, offer them no help with therapy, then go scoop them up again when Scott decides he needs fresh bodies for the most recent mutant rez.

Sorry, no excuse for that shit. If he winds up dead or disowned by the end of AvX, it'll be just deserts that were a long time coming.

[md84]

This did happen a while back with Hulkling -- who technically speaking wasn't even an American citizen (he was born on a different planet as opposed to US soil and I doubt his Skrull nanny went through proper immigration channels). The Skrulls and Kree both wanted him and Cap said no. In this example the stakes didn't involve a planet killing monster, though the intergalactic politics involved were arguably worse.

[md84]

I doubt Cyclops considers himself to be a hero at this point. He's pretty much given up on Xavier's ideals and is focused on the survival of mutants as a whole. And if that means putting kids through the meat-grinder (possibly literally given some of the threats the X-men face), then so be it.

[equinox216]

... It's cold out there?

[big_daddy_d]

I get it. Scott is in a position where he carries tons of weight on his shoulders. This is what he knows. This is what he's been trained for. I get that sometimes you gotta be the guy to make the hard decisions. Decisions that will not be popular with everyone. Sometimes you gotta be an asshole when it comes to leading, especally because sometimes people do not respond to kindness. But there's a difference between that and being some type of religious/militant/immature fanatic asshole who can't even have a mature conversation with someone in the face of danger. Someone who actually WANTS to HELP! Someone who clearly stated they wanted to protect the same person he wants to protect and the first thing he does is blast him as well as turn his nose up. I remember where Magneto told Scott he's sounding a lot like him and something about it didn't sound like admiration or a compliment. Or hell, from Magneto, maybe it was, idk, either way, he's definitely more like Magneto back in his villain days. That is not a good thing.

Also another thing..on that Children's Crusade page...jesus man, at least have the courtesy to not say that shit in front of the woman's sons! The fuck is wrong with you?!

[icon_uk]

Agreed, I don't always agree with Scott (Though in Schism I do) but there's a plausible, if not always admirable, logic to it.

[eyz]

*reads title*
...And that's why we love him! :)

[spacebetween]

Some of his decisions I agree with. Heck in the same place some of them are things I would do. There are other decisions that I don't agree with, but I can see why he would do it. However a majority of his decisions of late are just from blind desperation, which is in turn is making him look not only like a jerk but almost near incompetent. Which is why I was hoping that either Storm or Beast would step in to take charge. But Wolverine surprisingly was the one to step up to the plate. Still I'm hoping for Storm to stand up and pull Cyclops back into the character I use to like.

[bewareofgeek]

The problem is, Cyke was NEVER a "gray area" sort of character. More than anyone else, he was always the "Captain America" of the X-Men. Now, he's just another "ends justifies the means" anti-hero.

[jlbarnett]

doesn't Wiccan have very vague pretty easy to use, potentially deadly powers? Because seriously Scott could very easily be saying "Please explode my head" right there.

[salinea]

In A vs. X, the issue isn't jerkiness so much as stupidity.
This. Cyke is a jerk at the best of time, which doesn't make him not!right, especially not in Schism - and he's not wrong to be angry at Wanda for Decimation either. The ooc-ness here however is the Idiot Ball everyone is juggling with.